By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Max Ryazansky
T
ouch The Heart offers a feast for the senses. A giant floral mural by tattoo artist Christian Masot adorns one wall. Real plants and flowers decorate the space as well. The restaurant concept initially included an in-house flower shop, and while the focus is on food now, the evidence remains. “A lot of times, people choose us because of our aesthetic and our ambiance,” says Nick Andelora, who co-owns the restaurant with others, including Dan Grey and chef Anthony Leonido. He adds that the decor is one detail that makes Touch The Heart an excellent choice for events. There’s no need to worry about bringing your own decorations.
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The space is definitely beautiful, but it’s the dim sum for me. Touch The Heart’s menu is unique. “When you’re dealing with fusion, you want to bring in different flavors and different ideas from other cuisines,” Andelora explains. “The cheeseburger dumpling is always the one example that I give. We’re doing things that are different from the typical pork dumplings that you find and Chinese places. We took an American favorite and put an Asian twist on it.” Andelora and Grey came up with the idea for Touch The Heart together. “We thought that Hoboken as a city was missing Chinese food the way that we do it. Chinese food lends itself to being a very takeout and delivery-focused cuisine. We didn’t think there was anyplace else like this.
